The present invention relates to a vehicle seat assembly with an integral child seat and a seat back which is rotatably mounted and in particular to an interlock between the integral child seat assembly and the rotating seat back.
Many vehicle seat assemblies, such as bench seats in a van or multi-purpose passenger vehicle and the rear seats in certain passenger cars, are equipped with seat backs that are rotatable between use and storage positions. The rotating seat back panel is provided in passenger cars in particular to expand the trunk capacity of the vehicle into the rear seat area. In vans, a folding seat back enables larger items to be carried in the van on top of the bench seats and/or the folding seat back reduces the storage space required for a removable bench seat once removed from the vehicle. The rotating seat back typically includes a latch mechanism to hold the seat back in its use position.
Many seat assemblies have been recently developed which include an integral child seat that enables an infant or small child to be safely carried in the vehicle without the need for a separate child seat. Such integral child seats often include one or more rotating panels formed within the seat back of a seat assembly. In a stowed position, these panels form a portion of the adult seat back cushion. When deployed, one panel may serve as a seat cushion for a child occupant, while another panel may be raised to form a headrest. One or more components of the child seat may also be incorporated into the seat cushion.
The child seat, in addition to providing cushions for the child, also provides a separate restraint system. The separate child restraint system typically includes dual shoulder belts and a lap belt. In many cases, the loads from the belts are at least partially transferred to the seat back frame and ultimately from the seat back frame to the vehicle structure.
When a child seat is incorporated into a seat assembly, the seat back is generally not provided with a folding mechanism to enable the seat back to be rotated to a storage position. Instead, the seat back will be permanently placed in the upright use position. This is to guarantee that if a child is sitting on the integral child seat, he/she may not be hurt by a collapsing seat back. As a result, the vehicle purchaser must make a decision between either a child seat or a folding seat back.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the above tradeoff and provide a folding seat back and an integral child seat in the same seat assembly.
It is a feature of the present invention to provide such a seat assembly with an interlock mechanism to prevent rotation of the seat back from its use position when the child seat has been deployed.
It is a further feature of the present invention that when the seat back has been unlatched, the child seat cannot be deployed.
Many three-passenger bench seats that are equipped with an integral child seat have dual child seats, the two child seats are at each of the outboard seating positions. It is a further feature of the present invention to provide a single interlock mechanism operated by each of the two child seats for preventing the seat back from being rotated from its use position.
The invention of the present application is a seat assembly for use in a motor vehicle comprising a generally horizontal seat cushion having front and rear ends and a seat back including a back panel with upper and lower ends that is movable between an use position, in which the back panel extends generally upward from the rear end of the seat cushion, and a first stowed position. The seat cushion and seat back provide seating surfaces for an adult seat occupant at a seating position. The seat assembly also includes a releasable latch mechanism for retaining the seat back panel in its use position. The latch mechanism is releasable for preventing movement of the seat back panel from its use position.
The seat assembly further includes a child seat providing seating surfaces for a child seat occupant at the seating position and includes a child seat member movable between a stowed position and an use position. The child seat member enables use of the seat assembly at the seating position by a child when the child seat member is in its use position and the child seat member enables use of the seat assembly at the seating position by an adult when the child seat member is in its stowed position.
An interlock mechanism is provided between the latch mechanism and the child seat member for preventing release of the latch mechanism when the child seat member has been moved from its stowed position to its use position. This prevents the seat back panel from moving from its use position when the child seat member has been moved from its stowed position. The interlock mechanism includes a lock member movable into a lock position in which it is engagable with the latch mechanism to prevent release of the latch mechanism and a cable having one end coupled to the child seat member and the other end coupled to the lock member for moving the lock member to its lock position when the child seat member is moved from its stowed position.
Additional benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates from the subsequent description of the preferred embodiments and the appended claims.